Month: November 2019

by Rob Ellis

Belmont defeats Carroll to open the season

Belmont freshman guard Antaune Allen
Carroll senior forward Jaden Dahm
Belmont senior guard Logan Moore
Carroll junior guard Isaac Arrowood

Dayton, OH — Belmont started the season on the road and they defeated Carroll 63-57 on Wednesday night. Freshman guard Antaune Allen couldn’t miss as he led the way for the Bisons with 27 points in his first high school game and senior guard Logan Moore had 17 points in the first game of his senior campaign. For the Patriots, Jaden Dahm led them in scoring as he was unstoppable in the low post with 19 points. Junior sharpshooting guard Isaac Arrowood had 13 points off of 4 three-pointers as well for Carroll. The Patriots struggled at the free throw line which was one of the big reasons why they lost this game. Belmont started to throw the game away as they commited multiple turnovers in the final minute. Belmont was playing without four-star big man Shawn Phillips as he is out with a broken foot. Both teams will have a lot to work to do before they fully reach their potential.

by Rob Ellis

Fenwick Falcon Preview Rundown

Fenwick junior forward A.J. Braun
Thurgood Marshall junior forward Prophet Johnson
Tippecanoe junior guard Ben Knostman
Northridge senior guard Darryl Story
Thurgood Marshall junior guard Chanze Amerson

Franklin, OH — I attended the Bishop Fenwick preview tournament on Sunday. I only saw 3 of the games and the teams I saw play were Thurgood Marshall vs Fenwick, Tippecanoe vs Dunbar, and Northridge vs Emmanuel Christian. I was very impressed by both Thurgood and Fenwick. Thurgood has four really good players in Chanze Amerson, Mekhi Elmore, Anthony McComb, and Prophet Johnson. All four of those players are great defenders, ball handlers and shooters. Thurgood’s only weakness is their size, as they don’t have a true big man who can guard the post. Fenwick had two breakout players in A.J. Braun, and Dan Luers. Braun is an elite big man and will destroy the GCL Co-Ed this season and Luers is a great shooter and playmaker. The Tippecanoe and Dunbar game was very sloppy and had a lot of turnovers. One player I was impressed with from Tippwas Ben Knostman. Knostman is an elite playmaker who can fit passes in tight windows but Tipp won’t reach their full potential until Nolan Mader returns from injury. Dunbar ended up tying the game on a half-court shot. The Northridge and Emmanuel Christian game was what I expected. Northridge will be good in the SWBL this year but not great. They lose their two leading scorers from last season but still return really good guards in Darryl Story and Shawn Shehee.

by Rob Ellis

Bellbrook, Alter, and Wayne Scrimmage

Alter senior guard Brady Uhl
Alter senior forward Conor Stolly
Alter sophomore guard Jacob Conner
Wayne junior guard Malcolm Curry

Bellbrook, OH — We went back to Bellbrook to see another three-team scrimmage. This time it was between Bellbrook, Wayne, and Alter. After watching Alter play they definitely have the potential to make a deep tournament run this year. They return senior guard Brady Uhl who will be one of the best scorers in the Dayton area. They also return talented guard Jacob Conner who can run the point but is also tall enough to guard the post. The last piece of this talented Alter team is forward Conor Stolly. Stolly is an athletic big who is very good at guarding the post and can also shoot the ball pretty effectively. Some other players that impressed me were Ryan Chew of Bellbrook. Chew is an exceptional defender and has very quick handles which leads to a lot of easy points for the Eagles. Wayne’s Malcolm Curry and Elijah Brown both played well as both should see a lot more varsity playing time this year and will be a big part of the Warriors’ success this season.

by Rob Ellis

Bellbrook, Ponitz, and Stebbins Scrimmage

Ponitz senior guard DeVon Perdue
Stebbins senior guard Jalen Tolbert
Bellbrook senior guard Evan Lakins
Ponitz senior forward David Jordan

Bellbrook, OH — The Bellbrook Eagles held a scrimmage on Thursday, they invited MVL foe Stebbins and City League foe Ponitz. Two players stood out from the three teams there. Guard DeVon Perdue from Ponitz plays with an edge. He’s quick and can move the ball effectively. He’s also a great shooter and should be a threat to any team in the City League this season as he gearing up for a big senior year. Another player that stood out during the scrimmage was Stebbins senior guard Jalen Tolbert. Tolbert is also very quick and athletic and he plays great defense and is a threat on both ends. He has quick hands that helps him create turnovers and that leads to easy transition points. Some other players were Nate Keller from Stebbins, Evan Lakins from Bellbrook, and David Jordan from Ponitz.

by Rob Ellis

Sammy Anderson Commits to Cincinnati

Trotwood-Madison senior guard Sammy Anderson

Dayton, OH — Trotwood-Madison cornerback Sammy Anderson has committed to play football at the University of Cincinnati. He had other offers from Michigan, Michigan State, Indiana, Penn State, Iowa State, West Virginia, and Pitt just to name a few. Anderson will be a pivotal part of the Rams’ success on the court this year and he should be important to the Bearcats as well next fall. Trotwood defeated St. Mary’s Memorial last night in football to stay alive in the D-III playoffs. Anderson’s commitment has been highly anticipated by many colleges who wanted him. He is currently a three-star and was a big land for Cincinnati.

by Rob Ellis

Amari Davis named Horizon League Freshman of the Week

Former Trotwood-Madison guard Amari Davis

Dayton, OH — Amari Davis was named Ohio Southwest region division two state player of the year during his senior year at Trotwood-Madison. Many people knew he had the potential to be something special and he is capitalizing off of his opportunities right away. He played 20 minutes in his debut at #23. Purdue and scored 10 points. He then played 18 minutes against Wisconsin-Stout and scored 15 points. This was enough to earn him Horizon League freshman of the week. This is just the beginning for the talented freshman as he will continue to improve and keep playing better.

by Rob Ellis

Davis and Gordon both make College Debuts

Former Dayton stars turn into college stars

Dayton, OH — Two former Dayton high school basketball standouts from last season made their college debuts tonight. Trotwood-Madison’s Amari Davis is playing for Green Bay this fall as he made his debut on the road against #23 Purdue. Davis was named division two Southwest region player of the year last season and he had 10 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, and went 5-9 from the field. Green Bay ended up losing to Purdue 79-57 but Davis made the most of his minutes and should make a contributing factor in his freshman season.


The other former Dayton star was Sidney’s Andre Gordon. Gordon is playing for Texas A&M this fall under Buzz Williams, who he was originally going to play for at Virginia Tech. Gordon also made the most of his minutes and he sunk a three-pointer to get the scoring started for the Aggies and then went 4-10 from the field to end up finishing with 9 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 assists in Texas A&M win against Northwestern State.